Crown appealing Styles ruling

Const. Garrett Styles

The Crown Attorney’s office is appealing a judge’s ruling to lower the charge against the youth accused of killing York Regional Police Const. Garrett Styles.
The appeal will be heard March 11 and 12 in Newmarket, according to the youth’s lawyer, David Berg.
The charge against the youth, who cannot be identified due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was lowered to manslaughter from first degree murder in October.
The ruling fuelled a feeling a disappointment throughout the force, York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said at the time.
“This is deja-vu for us,” he said, in reference to the 2007 death of Det.-Const. Robert Plunkett and subsequent lowering of the charge in that case.
After being charged with first-degree murder, Nadeem Jiwa was convicted of manslaughter in Det.-Const. Plunkett’s death and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
His appeal of his conviction and sentence was dismissed last year.
In the Styles case, the accused’s lawyer, David Berg, has questioned if anyone wins at this point, regardless of the outcome.
“He (the youth) is a quadriplegic, the family is devastated,” he said.
Const. Styles stopped a 2005 Dodge Caravan on Hwy. 48, south of Herald Road, June 28, 2011.
Four people, including the now-17-year-old male youth, were in the vehicle.
In the moments that followed, Const. Styles was dragged about 300 metres before the driver lost control and rolled the minivan, pinning the officer. East Gwillimbury firefighters freed Const. Styles and he was rushed to Southlake Regional Health Centre, where he died.